Category Archives: Dance

SALT: Work-in-Progress at Clarice Smith, Apr 18-20

SALT: Work-in-Progress at Clarice Smith, Apr 18-20

SALT: Work-in-Progress
Performance from André Zachery

Saturday, April 20, 2024 • 5-6:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

“Salt” is an excerpt from a current work-in-development collaboration between interdisciplinary choreographer André M. Zachery and interdisciplinary sound/media artist Sadah Espii Proctor entitled “Against Gravity: Flying Afrikans and Other Urban Legends.” This section is named and inspired by a novel of the same name by Trinidadian writer Earl Lovelace, the tale of “Igbo Landing” and the legend of “the people who could fly.” The relationship between “the water” and “flight” is symbiotic and at times reciprocal in African Diaspora cultural landscapes. This excerpt contends with how we are moving the speculative, unseen and yet to be heard towards the center of our trajectory while collectively engaging in futuring practices.

This event is part of Moving with Screens + Machines: A Symposium on Embodied Practices and Technology.

Free, registration required. Click here.

MAYA, Phenomenal Woman at Bishop McNamara High School, Apr 19

MAYA, Phenomenal Woman at Bishop McNamara High School, Apr 19

Bishop McNamara High School presents
MAYA, Phenomenal Woman

April 19-28, 2024
April 19, 20, 26, & 27 at 7:00 pm
April 21 & 28 at 2:00 pm

Location: Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville.

MAYA, Phenomenal Woman is a dance drama celebrating the extraordinary life of Maya Angelou. Using her series of autobiographies, from Caged Bird to Mom & Me & Mom, as well as her greatest poems, this production hopes to educate, challenge, and entertain audiences through the power of African Music and Dance.

Tickets $15. Click here.

Moving with Screens + Machines at Clarice Smith, Apr 18-20

Moving with Screens + Machines at Clarice Smith, Apr 18-20

Moving with Screens + Machines: A Symposium on Embodied Practices and Technology

April 18-20, 2024

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Join us for a thought-provoking symposium on the relationship between embodied practices and technology. This in-person event will bring together multi-disciplinary experts and enthusiasts to explore how screens and machines shape our experiences and interactions.

This symposium features a keynote address on Robotics, AI and dance. Other events include expert panels, DANCE², the work-in-progress performance SALT and multiple COMMIT gallery exhibits. View the full schedule of events.

Free, registration required. Click here.

Softly Softly The Myth of the Strong Black Woman at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Mar 28

Softly Softly The Myth of the Strong Black Woman at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Mar 28

Joe’s Movement Emporium presents:
Softly Softly The Myth of the Strong Black Woman
Created by Maria Fenton

Thursday March 28, 2024 at 7:00 pm

Location: Joe’s Movement Emporium.

Softly, Softly Expressions is a powerful conglomerate of artistic mediums:film, ballet production, art exhibition, readings, and fashion collection centering Black women’s humanity. It illuminates Black women’s costly, treacherous & seemingly mythic composure as they navigate life. Created by multi-hyphenate artist and Howard University professor, Maria Fenton, it touches on race, gender, suicide prevention, domestic violence, mental health, politics, and more. Softly, Softly is a both a battle cry and love story about the grace, reality, & magic of Black women and their often invisible embattled journey.

Tickets $10. Click here.

Butterfly with Solace & Counterpart at the Bowie CPA, Mar 16

Butterfly with Solace & Counterpart at the Bowie CPA, Mar 16

Ballet 5:8 Presents: Butterfly with Solace & Counterpart

Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 7:00pm

Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

Julianna Rubio Slager’s Butterfly debuts at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts. This powerful ballet tells the story of a Jewish art teacher who refuses to let the children of Terezin die without hope. She challenges her students to create art that speaks of their misery but also of the hope that lies within.

Ballet 5:8 is a female and minority-led premiere ballet company recognized for remarkable artistic excellence, innovation and beauty. Mexican American Artistic Director, Julianna Rubio Slager, creates original and dynamic ballet experiences drawing from life, faith, current events and diverse perspectives that tell relevant stories of the 21st century. Rubio Slager brings to life ballets that are relatable and accessible to all people, delighting both the seasoned balletomane and the first-time audience.

Since its founding in 2012, Ballet 5:8 has presented more than 45 critically acclaimed ballets forging a robust repertoire, engaging and captivating communities in Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation. Headquartered in Orland Park, IL, Ballet 5:8 is the only performing arts company in Chicago’s South Suburbs serving more than 400 students a year as a cultural staple in the community. The School also has a Beverly Campus on Chicago’s South Side raising up the next generation of aspiring artists.

Tickets: $22 to $42. Click here.